The Frederick County Division of Fire and Rescue Services (DFRS), located in Frederick, Maryland, is a comprehensive emergency response agency serving over 240,000 residents across 664 square miles. Operating as a combination career and volunteer system, DFRS employs approximately 450 uniformed personnel and 16 civilian staff, collaborating with more than 2,000 volunteers to provide fire suppression, emergency medical services (EMS), technical rescue, hazardous materials response, water rescue, fire prevention, and community education.
The Division is led by Director and Fire Chief Thomas Coe.
Recent Initiatives and Achievements
Staffing Enhancements: In response to the 2021 line-of-duty death of Battalion Chief Joshua Laird, DFRS secured a $9.7 million federal SAFER grant to hire 32 additional firefighters. This funding aims to increase crew sizes from three to four personnel per unit, enhancing operational efficiency and safety.
Training and Equipment Grants: DFRS received over $392,000 in federal grants to train more than 1,000 personnel on roadway safety during emergency incidents and to acquire reflective traffic equipment to improve visibility and safety at emergency scenes.
Community Programs: The Division actively engages with the community through initiatives like the “Gear Up” program, which encourages volunteerism in fire, rescue, and EMS services.
For more information or to explore volunteer opportunities, visit the official website: www.frederickfireandrescue.com.
The majority of people who work here are very sharp, high caliber people. It is an aggressive, effective department on scene whether it is fire fighting, rescue operations, or EMS. The department runs its own BLS ambulances with ALS chase cars, has an in-house paramedic program, and promotional opportunities.
The department works 24/48s with a Kelly. There are regular vacancies, especially with ALS providers where there is constantly overtime available, but also frequent holdover days/mandatory overtime. The department is generally well funded, however some individual stations fall behind on what they need.
In recent years the department has hired hundreds of new recruits and severely improved staffing issues, as well as starting a process to staff 4-man fire apparatus. Should 1/2 of the departments engines are at 4 man staffing, some are still at 3. The department has 1 hard staffed ladder truck, and 1 hard staffed rescue squad. All other special service units are cross-staffed from the stations fire staffing. Most stations have at-least 1 hard staffed ambulance, some have 2. And about 1/2 of the stations have ALS chase cars.
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1 Reviews on “Frederick County Div. of Fire & Rescue Services”
The majority of people who work here are very sharp, high caliber people. It is an aggressive, effective department on scene whether it is fire fighting, rescue operations, or EMS. The department runs its own BLS ambulances with ALS chase cars, has an in-house paramedic program, and promotional opportunities.
The department works 24/48s with a Kelly. There are regular vacancies, especially with ALS providers where there is constantly overtime available, but also frequent holdover days/mandatory overtime. The department is generally well funded, however some individual stations fall behind on what they need.
In recent years the department has hired hundreds of new recruits and severely improved staffing issues, as well as starting a process to staff 4-man fire apparatus. Should 1/2 of the departments engines are at 4 man staffing, some are still at 3. The department has 1 hard staffed ladder truck, and 1 hard staffed rescue squad. All other special service units are cross-staffed from the stations fire staffing. Most stations have at-least 1 hard staffed ambulance, some have 2. And about 1/2 of the stations have ALS chase cars.